Parental depressive symptoms as a risk factor for child depressive symptoms; testing the social mediators in internationally adopted children

Suicide attempts of friends and family during adolescence and long-term suicidal ideation and attempts: Findings from the 25-year Add Health study

BACKGROUND

Suicide is a significant global public health concern. However, previous studies have predominantly focused on individual-level risk factors. Against this backdrop, microsystem suicide propinquity, which encompasses suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) within families and peer groups, is significant in elucidating the development and perpetuation of STB in adolescents.

METHODS

This study utilized data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health, 1994-2018). Adolescents who reported instances of suicide attempts among their friends and family members during Wave 1 were selected (N = 4826). Generalized estimation equations (GEE) and structural equation models (SEM) were employed.

RESULTS

GEE analyses indicated that individuals with friends who had attempted suicide exhibited higher risks for suicidal ideation (OR [95 % CI] = 2.57 [2.13, 3.11]) and suicide attempts (OR [95 % CI] = 2.47 [1.78, 3.42]). Also, individuals with family members who had attempted suicide exhibited higher risks for suicidal ideation (OR [95 % CI] = 2.37 [1.62, 3.46]) and attempts (OR [95 % CI] = 2.27 [1.17, 4.41]). However, friends' and family members' suicide attempts failed to show significant interactive effect. Besides, SEM analyses indicated that friends' and family members' suicide attempts were associated with one's long-term suicidal ideation and attempts via depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Suicide attempts of friends and family during adolescence were long-term risk factors for suicidal ideation and attempts from adolescence to young adulthood. Moreover, depressive symptoms served as long-term mechanisms in these associations.

Parental characteristics and offspring mental health and related outcomes: a systematic review of genetically informative literature

Various parental characteristics, including psychiatric disorders and parenting behaviours, are associated with offspring mental health and related outcomes in observational studies. The application of genetically informative designs is crucial to disentangle the role of genetic and environmental factors (as well as gene-environment correlation) underlying these observations, as parents provide not only the rearing environment but also transmit 50% of their genes to their offspring. This article first provides an overview of behavioural genetics, matched-pair, and molecular genetics designs that can be applied to investigate parent-offspring associations, whilst modelling or accounting for genetic effects. We then present a systematic literature review of genetically informative studies investigating associations between parental characteristics and offspring mental health and related outcomes, published since 2014. The reviewed studies provide reliable evidence of genetic transmission of depression, criminal behaviour, educational attainment, and substance use. These results highlight that studies that do not use genetically informative designs are likely to misinterpret the mechanisms underlying these parent-offspring associations. After accounting for genetic effects, several parental characteristics, including parental psychiatric traits and parenting behaviours, were associated with offspring internalising problems, externalising problems, educational attainment, substance use, and personality through environmental pathways. Overall, genetically informative designs to study intergenerational transmission prove valuable for the understanding of individual differences in offspring mental health and related outcomes, and mechanisms of transmission within families.

Indirect effect of parental depression on school victimization through adolescent depression

BACKGROUND

While a link between parental depression and adolescent school victimization is frequently hypothesized, studies on this association have shown mixed results. In addition, adolescent depression has been considered a potential psychosocial mechanism underlying the link between parental depression and adolescent school victimization. However, studies to support this proposition are lacking. This paper examines the direct effect of parental depression on adolescent victimization by peers and teachers in school as well as indirect effect through adolescent depression in an Asian context (Taiwan) and further examines differences in the interrelationships of parental depression, adolescent depression, and school victimization by peers and teachers across gender and school age groups.

METHODS

Data were obtained from a random sample of 2,419 students (grades 7-12) and their parents in one of the largest metropolitan areas in Taiwan.

RESULTS

Parental depression did not have a significant direct association with either type of school victimization. However, parental depression showed a significant indirect association with both types of school victimization through adolescent depression. These findings applied to both males and females and both junior and senior high school students.

LIMITATION

The study utilized cross-sectional data, and the findings cannot be used to build causal relationships.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide empirical support that parental depression has indirect associations with school victimization by peers and teachers through adolescent depression. The results support the importance of including family-based approaches for depression targeting parents and adolescents in future victim intervention/prevention school programs.